On Jan 21, New Mexico Republicans filed a partisan gerrymandering challenge in the 5th Judicial District Court. In contrast, the chair of the state Democratic Party released a statement applauding the congressional map stating “these maps create fair districts that bridge the urban-rural divide, include strong Hispanic and Native voices, and better represent communities throughout New Mexico.” Read the lawsuit here.
In October 2021, the New Mexico Citizens Redistricting Committee released several congressional maps for the legislature’s consideration. The Committee is an independent, statutory, non-partisan body tasked to develop and propose district maps for New Mexico’s Congressional delegation, the state Senate and House, and the Public Education Commission.
The complaint alleges that New Mexico’s newly adopted congressional district map was drawn in contravention of traditional redistricting principles endorsed by the State Legislature and the New Mexico Supreme Court to accomplish a political gerrymander that “unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of residents of southeastern New Mexico in order to achieve partisan advantage.” Specifically, the lawsuit alleges:
” . . . the State Legislature largely ignored the citizen committee process they adopted in 2021, electing instead to approve a congressional map that was never reviewed, considered, or studied by the Citizen Redistricting Committee . . . The result of [the map’s] machinations is a wildly gerrymandered congressional map through illegitimate means that drastically dilutes the votes of Plaintiffs.”
News Coverage:
New Mexico Republican Party Files Lawsuit Alleging New Congressional Redistricting Map Is Political Gerrymandering
State GOP lawsuit claims gerrymandering in congressional redistricting
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